


Falling Feathers

by runningwater



Series: Feysand Things [10]
Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Crack Fic, F/M, Language, Swan Lake - Freeform, tchaikovsky is rolling in his grave rn, what am I doing with my life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:33:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25231675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/runningwater/pseuds/runningwater
Summary: I don't know how to summarize this other than it's a Barbie Swan Lake AU and a one-shot of when Odette and the Prince meet for the first time but it's, ya know, Feyre and Rhys.
Relationships: Feyre Archeron/Rhysand
Series: Feysand Things [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1607200
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27





	Falling Feathers

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a crack fic I typed up after watching Barbie Swan Lake. I wanted to do a full-length fic, but I have 3 in progress and like another 4 I want to write. Maybe someday….

“Beautiful,” Rhysand breathed, “Absolutely beautiful.” He pulled back the arrow a fraction farther, training the head on the swan that was gliding through the sky.

He had been riding through the forest when the biggest bird he had ever seen glided overhead. _What a prize that would be!_ And he urged his horse faster to keep up with it. It entered a cave under a waterfall, so temptingly close that he couldn’t give up now. Dismounting his horse, he stepped lightly on the log spanning the river and followed the massive bird through the cave.

 _A hawk? Or perhaps an eagle?_ It was unlike any creature he had seen before.

The cave opened up into a forest that was unfamiliar to him. Dozens of times he had ridden through the forests surround the castle, but never through here. The leaves were a vibrant emerald. Mushrooms the size of dogs dotted the roots of trees that reached towards the sky.

Ahead, the bird had risen higher in the sky. The early evening sun gilded its russet feathers gold. He raced past trees and bushes, hardly noticing the animals hiding in the foliage. Animals that were fairies underneath the warlock’s curse.

The sound of rushing water started to filter in, a blue lake fed by a nearby stream started to glint through the trees. The bird swooped down towards the surface, claws outstretched. A cry sounded. It was almost human-like.

The bird rose again into the sky as a flash of white lifted up from the lake surface.

 _A swan…_ pure white feathers tinted pink in the fading sunlight. It flapped its wings, rising. The massive bird swooped down again and started to pursue the swan, driving it closer towards him.

“Beautiful,” Rhysand breathed, “Absolutely beautiful.” The larger bird peeled off, but he was too focused on the swan to care. Its feathers would make the most gorgeous gift to his mother, maybe enough to get her off his back about marriage.

Rhys’s arm strained, quivering with the force he needed to keep the arrow drawn back. Something was stopping him from releasing it. The swan continued to fly through the sky, unaware of the hunter below that was so close to taking its life.

The last of the sunlight faded from the sky, tinging the world with shades of lavender.

The swan began to glow with the purest light, causing Rhys to slacken his arms in complete awe. Never before had he seen such a phenomenon.

“FUCKKKKKKKKK,” came the shout from the swan, now a human woman that was whirling her arms through the air as though trying to fly. She crashed into the surface of the lake, causing a massive splash that sent ripples through the body of water.

She surfaced, sputtering and spitting out water, “God fucking dammit,” and started to swim towards the shore. Rhys raced forward, still in shock but felt utterly compelled to help this woman. Before he could reach her, she emerged from the lake, her blue dress soaking wet. “Fucking Hybern,” she muttered before realizing that she was not alone.

Rhys halted a few feet away. Before him was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Even wet, her hair was a golden brown that reminded him of summer. When she met his eyes, they were like the sea he wanted to sail so badly, blue and grey with flecks of green and stormy with rage.

“Hi,” he said lamely, cursing himself for speaking such an idiotic one-syllable word.

She took him in, her gaze guarded, but… interested. Maybe the admiration of looks went both ways. “Hello,” she returned, looking a bit awkward and uncomfortable, probably from her unexpected swim in the lake.

“Who are you,” he asked, still unable to stop himself. Any thoughts had emptied out of his mind.

She surveyed him again, deeming him worthy of that small piece of information. “Feyre,” and then recognizing him, she bowed slightly, “Your Highness.”

He grimaced at the honorific, not liking the formality. Finally, common sense started to trickle back in, but not enough that he didn’t phrase his next question better, “What are you?” and then blushing at the lack of tact in the words. His etiquette tutor would be rolling in her grave right now.

The woman, Feyre, raised an eyebrow at him, relaxing a bit more at his embarrassment. “A human,” she paused and a small frown formed on her lips, “Well, I used to be. I live in the village with my father and sisters, but I went into the forest one day and a warlock caught me and turned me into a swan. Thankfully, the Fairy Queen took me into her protection after I was able to pull the crystal from the tree and gave me the ability to be a swan by day and a human by night. We’ve been looking for a way to break this curse.” Taking in the look on his face, she added on, “And now you think I’m bat-shit crazy.”

“N-no!” Rhys blurted out and then caught his tongue, “I mean, I just saw you turn from a swan into a human so it’s not too hard to believe.”

She let out a small, bitter laugh. “Yeah, I guess you did.” Her gaze turned critical, “How did you get here? The only way in is through the-“

“The cave under the waterfall? I was following this massive bird through the forest and it went through there. Which thinking back on it, that probably wasn’t just a bird was it?”  
She sighed, biting her lip. The fidget was distracting and led his mind down a new line of thought that wasn’t particularly helpful right now.

“That was Hybern, the warlock that has cursed me and this forest and all the creatures in it. He-“

The massive bird appeared again, swooping down and landing in a flash of light that was dimmer than Feyre’s.

“One arrow!” the warlock yelled, “All you needed to do was shoot one arrow!” the warlock’s face was red and twisted into an ugly expression. “Now you’re completely _useless to me._ ” He held out his hand, a ring glowing crimson on it, power crawling through the air.

Rhys reached towards his quiver for an arrow but Feyre stepped in front of him. A shout formed on his lips, but it was unnecessary. A line of red power shot towards them and was stopped by a shield of purple, seemingly emanating from the crown on Feyre’s head.

Hybern lowered his hand, cutting off the beam, growling. “One arrow from a human hunter and that crystal would be mine and _you_ ,” he pointed at Feyre, “would no longer be my problem.”

“Fuck off, Hybern, go ruffle someone else’s feathers. You have no power here,” Feyre said with her own growl. Rhys suppressed a shiver, the strength in her voice only made her more beautiful.

Hybern shifted his stance, ready to attack when a shrieking filled the forest. “Daddy!!!!!!!!!! Daddy, help!!!!!!!” his head whipped towards the source.

Feyre smirked, “Looks like Amarantha needs your help.”

Hybern looked back, his gaze red and full of hatred, “This isn’t over,” and transformed again, taking off towards the screams.

Once Hybern’s tail feathers had disappeared, Feyre turned back to Rhys. “Are you ok?”

He could only nod his head, speechless at the show of power he had just witnessed.

“It’s getting dark, you’ll want to get back to the castle, I don’t know if or when Hybern will return,” Feyre said.

“What about you? What will you do if he returns? I can’t leave you here alone,” Rhys protested, not wanting to leave this woman.

“I’m not alone, I have the fairies to help me fend off Hybern,” she reassured him, a small smile quirking her lips at his distress.

“Then let me help you find a way to break this curse,” he begged. He couldn’t stand the thought of her being under someone else’s spell.

She regarded him one more time, this final assessment striping him down to his soul. Feyre nodded, “Alright, but only if you return to the castle at dawn.”

Rhys breathed a sigh of relief; he wouldn’t have to say goodbye to this beautiful enigma just yet. “Deal.”

Feyre’s smile full on bloomed, melting my heart and causing me to return it. “This way then, I’ll introduce you to the Fairy Queen of the Forest.”

He followed her around the edge of the lake, the smile not leaving his lips as shadows deepened around them. He wasn’t sure what he had gotten himself into, but it would all be worth it to see Feyre freed from this curse. He just hoped that she would see past his princely title and got to know the man underneath. 

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly not sure how I got here in life. One moment I was procrastinating studying in a library and the next I was writing a Barbie Swan Lake AU.


End file.
